Incarnation

Within Ogun Ziyuan's mindscape, a two-meter-long feather landed on the surface of his sea of consciousness. The surface rippled with an odd gentleness that made Ogun Ziyuan extremely uneasy. The feather then combusted with massive intensity. The power of the energy waves alone should have disrupted his sea of consciousness and split his mind in half, yet it was more nourishing than destructive.

"This... My sea of consciousness..." Ziyuan was stumped by the sudden and strange situation.

In the Infernal Abyss, the world of cultivation consists of two routes of cultivation: Mage and Warrior. Mage cultivation is based on the mindscape, strengthening and transforming the sea of consciousness to increase Spiritual energy. While warriors harnessed Arcane energy to strengthen the body.

However, cultivation of the spirit was a coveted art monopolized by the Tower of Seal, the Pill Kingdom, and their conclaves. Spiritual cultivation techniques are only gifted to the highest achieving Alchemist, Sigilist, and Crafters, making mages a rare sight on the Wind Serpent Continent.

To feel his sea of consciousness being nourished for the first time, Ziyuan became exhilarated despite the oddity of the situation.

The feather in Ziyuan's mindscape was actively purifying and increasing the density of his sea of consciousness and expanding the boundaries of the sea until the feather finally burst into ashes, and a man that favored his father appeared.

"Father?!" Ziyuan cried out in disbelief.

He had only seen portraits of his late father. And now it was as if one of those portraits had come to life and stepped out of its frame.

"No! I am Ogun Ziyuan." the man replied.

The younger Ziyuan was confused.

"I am Ogun Ziyuan," he said.

The older man smiled and said, "We are Ogun Ziyuan. But like the Samsara of the Nine-Headed Divine Phoenix. We are, and we are not the same."

"What?" asked the young Ziyuan. " What the hell is the Nine-Headed Divine Phoenix?"

"Haha, I forgot how uneducated I was in my younger days. The Nine-Headed Divine Phoenix dies in flames just like the regular phoenix. Though, it incarnates into its past self. Each life is marked with a new head until a total of nine is formed."

"What happens after the ninth incarnation?"

"Crossing the divine gap…A much higher realm of cultivation."

The older Ziyuan chuckled as he thought of the realms he couldn't touch in his past life.

"So, will I become a Nine-Head Divine Phoenix in the future? Did I find a Legacy or Pheonix Blood Essence? "

"Haha, none of the above. In our Ogun Pendant, there is a Nine-headed Divine Phoenix Feather and an incarnation technique. But you will not know about that or any of the treasures within the pendent until later in life. Far too late if I'm completely honest."

"That's impossible! You mean this old pendant I got from Uncle LuLu is something special?" the young Ziyuan shouted.

The older Ziyuan laughed at the boy's expression.

"It is. There are many great things in this world. And the pendant is one prepared by our late father with all the treasures he collected from the Ancestral Demon God Land with our uncle Gu Long. With that being said, time is of the essence. " The older Ziyuan ethereal form faded away.

Appearing in front of his younger self, Ziyuan drove his hand through his younger's chest. A moment later, the Nine-Headed Divine Phoenix feather within the older Ziyuan emerged and burst into blazing liquid-like flames, spilling over the two Ziyuans like molten lava.

Soon the area became a furnace and the two souls, although the same, separated by time, were refined into one. Flashes of the great war ripped through his mind, followed by his birth and the destruction of his Clan, a time when he was crippled in the Broken Spear Sect, and salvation granted to him by his wandering teacher.

Events of the past, present, and future melded together into one coherent memory bank. He then meditated and recounted the incarnation method of the Nine-Headed Divine Phoenix within himself as the ferocious phoenix fire burst forth before being pulled into Ziyuan's body.

'I never thought that broken method would come in handy. But it seems to be the reason my soul survived and regressed to this point…How extraordinary.' Ziyuan thought in his heart.

Following the incomplete method he found with the phoenix feather, Ziyuan managed to tame the fire and his blood became liquid fire in the process.

When Ziyuan awakened, the compound was burned to cinders, and he lay in a pile of ashes and embers. He groaned as he rolled over and weakly pushed himself up. In the distance, he could hear the sorrowful weeps of his people.

Ogun Ziyuan walked out of the razed building, naked and covered in soot that clung to his body from head to toe. Even the thick white streak that ran through his obsidian black hair was unrecognizable.

Many of the clansmen were in awe of the sight. Their young master had survived the baptism of flames that the Ancestors could not touch. And even though the elders couldn't sense any life, Ogun Ziyuan was now standing before them, unscathed and in perfect health.

'I, Ogun Ziyuan, have returned.' he thought in his heart as the ember eyes of his glowed vibrant and compelling as he looked down on the people before, shaking their hearts.

'My arrival will change a lot of things. Now that the compound is ash and embers, the clan will be forced to rebuild or relocate.'

Ogun Ziyuan looked around at the clan reorganizing under the direction of the elders. The Clan Leader was still under an induced sleep and not present. Leaving the leadership to the Ancestors. At the same time, his great grandfather, Ancestor Shenxiu, walked towards him. Though Ziyuan refused to speak to anyone. Gathering his strength, Ziyuan leaped over the walls of the compound and sped off into the distance as if to flee for his life.

"Ancestor, should we.."

"Leave him. He's probably shocked by the ordeal. Focus on cleaning up" Shenxiu replied.

Sometime later, Ziyuan had crossed a good distance of Star Fall Forest and found refuge in a place that had once given him comfort in his younger years.

'Uncle Gu Long has already come and gone' Ziyuan spoke to himself as he meditated on his memories. 'He should be heading to the Pill Kingdom to find another alchemist for Sister Gu Lan. We should meet him there and steal the opportunity.'

Ziyuan thought of using his alchemical knowledge to help Gu Long's granddaughter when he suddenly thought of his pesky ailment that was fated to slowly take hold of him.

An image of himself killing a bug appeared next, causing him to smirk.

'I should first work on purging the Nether Dumb Beetles' poison first. Schemes are nothing in front of absolute power, I need to get stronger first. And maybe, I can turn the tables and acquire the Nether Poison Bone.'

Ziyuan took a bit more time to get a grasp on the current events. After the passing of so many years, it was hard to remember every detail of the past. He had to re-educate himself on his own life.

'Three months until the Broken Spear Sect's core disciple exam. Traveling from here to the Huyan Kingdom alone, at top speed, is a month, with a whole clan, two. That's more than enough time to shake things up. But more importantly, the Morningstar Demon Hunt is approaching. I was so in a rush to leave once before and only learned later in life a great prodigy bloomed during this time. Maybe what he found can help me.'

Set on his next move, Ziyuan channeled his arcane energy and began to examine his body only to flinch in shock. Bewildered by his discovery, he dove deeper and continued to conclude that he was perfectly healthy. More astonishing is that his constitution is impeccable.

'Ohh.' his interest was piqued

Shifting his attention, he discovered remnants, like residual sparks of the Nine-Headed Divine Phoenix flame coursing through his veins.

'So that's what happened.' he thought in his heart, 'If only the incarnate method of the Nine-Headed Divine Phoenix wasn't damaged it'd be able to shine a light on my changes. Still, this flame of the royal phoenix is a blessing in and of itself.'

Ziyuan sighed in his heart. All he could infer was that the flames that swallowed him initiated an honest process of rebirth. Purifying the body, the nether dumb beetle's poison, and reforging him to a standard that's capable of housing the essence of Phoenix flames.

It was really all too much to consider, but Ziyuan was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, he appreciated his blessings and…

A presence suddenly stepped into his senses. Ziyuan opened his eyes and looked back to see his mother.

"It's been a long time since you've come to this old tree," said Ogun Didi

Ziyuan looked to his left and stared at the great trunk of the tree, its strong limbs and lush vegetation, vibrant with green, yellow, and reddish hues fit for the season. The light scent of sap and the beauty of the leaves dancing on the cool northern breeze.

Ziyuan touches the grass beneath him and gently strokes it as he remembers the days he cultivated beneath the shade tree on the hill, overlooking Morning Star City and most of Star Fall Forest.

"The fire rattled me a bit. I had to clear my mind. I apologize if I worried you," he replied.

"No, I'm not worried. I know you're capable when you try. I'm just here to tell you that the clan is going to rebuild and stay here."

Ziyuan sighed at his mother's words.

"Why stay, Mother?" he asked. " Staying only stagnates our growth. At least we have a history in the Broken Spear Sect. We can remain neutral and I'll sacrifice the engagement to maintain."

Ogun Didi raised a curious brow.

" Why the sudden change?" she asked.

"I've always wanted to reclaim our former glory. But now I realize sacrifices have to be made and steps must be taken. Neither of which is happening if we choose to stay."

His mother pursed her lips. "It seems the fire gave way to some clarity. You aren't as narrow-minded as before. I also hope that means no more nights at the brothels?"

Ziyuan's forehead wrinkles and his mother stares at him with expectation.

"Of course not." he replied without shame, "I'm a scholarly man of culture and the brothel is the focal point of my studies."

Ziyuan jested and his mother rolled her eyes with an amused smirk. Still, too much change at one time would attract too much attention. Attention is what he didn't need.

Didi sighed, "Yuan'er, what are you saying?"

Ziyuan rose to his feet and brushed his hands along his thighs to straighten his robes.

"We are Warriors. People who reach for the heavens, whether it's to defy their laws or embrace them. To clutch immortality by its throat and fight against the tribulations that seek to stop us. The Ogun are Titans amongst the races, our bodies nor our spirits can be restrained! If the clan stays it will destroy the very nature of who we are, Warriors who wish to trample over the realms of old and shatter the heavens."

A great feeling swelled in Ogun Didi. She smiled at her son and a flash of her late husband appeared in her mind as the wind kicked up leaves that orbited Ziyuan like planetary bodies.

"Sweet words. Very sweet" Ogun Didi sang, "Rather poetic actually. What is it?"

Ziyuan was taken aback. He was foolish if he believed that he could manage his mother and she let it be known.

"What? Did I stump you?" she teased.

"Contrary to what people may think, you are not irresponsible, you merely find it hard to find things worth being responsible for. So what have you set your sights on this time?" Ogun Didi awaits an answer with a warm and earnest smile.

'A mother knows her child's nature,' Didi thought to herself.

"Mother, I want the seat of Clan Leader. Although my cultivation is lacking, I have a vision of our clan in a forest of glory that stretches as far as the eye can see." Ziyuan proposed.

'Just say 'yes', you vixen. You've always treated this poor son well.' he thought in his heart

'Nice try, kit.' She thought, almost as if she knew his thoughts.

"Tsk. You think you can sweet talk your way into this position. Think again, boy. You have many good qualities and a handful of bad." Didi released a slight pressure that caused Ziyuan to sweat.

"Ma…"

"Enough, here I thought you wanted something reasonable." Didi scuffed and then left Ziyuan alone.

"Madame Nyima has sent for you…you should handle your own messes from now on" Didi's voice traveled across the distance but was as clear as if she was standing before him.